Monday, June 24, 2013

On Friday, The
Food Network announced
that they had decided not to renew Paula Deen’s contract at the end of this
month. And it was rumored that her deal with QVC was on the rocks. However, is Paula Deen being sacked too soon?

Let’s
remember that she wasn’t “caught” using the “n” word in recent casual
conversation over lunch with the girls last week. She was honest and admitted
to spewing racist remarks on her own. She could have lied, like most people
would do. While she did admit to using racial slurs years ago, she’s also a
white person who grew up in the deep South, where in her youth (1950’s and 60’s),
ignorance and racism ran deep. Don’t
know what I’m talking about? Watch “The Help” (dummies guide to
Southern racism).

I’m not
defending her past actions, but if someone behaved like the biggest ignoramus
the world has ever seen a few years back, does that mean that person is
incapable of growth or perception change? Look at how much our awareness as an
American culture has grown over the last few decades, from the 60’s (when Deen was
in her teens/early 20’s) to the 80’s – and look how much we have evolved from
the 80’s to the present.

Nobody (including Paula Deen) is
excusing her past behavior, but could it be possible that Deen’s perspective
on racial discrimination could have changed over the last 20 years?

5 comments:

"She could have lied, like most people would do." Wow. Your evidence of this is based on? She's mostly guilty of enabling her alcoholic brother to run a restaurant it would appear he has not business running after reading the deposition.

In this day and age, we are apt to forgive people for mediocrity. As we've seen recently with Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, when people say unkind things, networks receive boycotts and these hurt the network's bottom line. The Food Network and QVC are likely being pre-emptive and doing damage control.

Stop grousing about how unfair this is and recognize that Deen obviously holds low opinions of African-Americans. Is it any less damaging that she perpetuates these stereotypes from a million-viewer platform because she doesn't come right out and say the 'n word' on television? That argument is disingenuous at best, and intellectually dishonest at worst.

The video you shared shows the exact opposite of your opinion. Like the article says, she admitted to something she wasn't proud of doing over 20 years ago. It's easy to persecute someone for being racist and almost impossible for that person to defend themselves after they have been accused. Show me footage of her actually admitting she **currently** thinks people of other races are not equals. She fucked up 20 years ago. Get over it and move on. And if you really hate her, boycott her show. Did you ever really watch it anyway?

I've never cared for her - it seems as if she puts on, her accent and it really turns me off. Her so-called crying on TV, seemed plastic to me as well.

It's business and these places who sponsor her, have that right to get rid of anyone they want. Sure it's not always fair but they do have the right. I wouldn't want it any other way.

As for the racial component - hey the past can sneak up on you and bite you in the butt. Apparently she still has these ignorant attitudes and the fact that she excuses them as part of her culture is just more of that ignorant southern mentality.

I am sure she will prevail - with her money and all. She and her financial advisers will go back to the drawing board and come up with something. That is what business people do. She'll be back.

Meanwhile I hope some of her cookware goes on sale for real cheap and I am thrilled I don't have to hear that annoying, "Hi yall"